Snickers "struck" at F/T prey tonight.... aggression question.

We have had her for over a year now she has always gotten F/T prey and never live. She has never hissed or stuck at us or even her prey because(because it's already dead. LOL)

Anyway Snickers has always eaten in a separate enclosure and we put the mouse into the enclosure with a plastic "grabber" and she quickly stuck and latched onto the mouse before we even had a chance to let it go from the grabber.

It's just weird to me that she tried to treat it like "live" prey tonight. Usually we drop it from the grabber and then a few minutes later she eats it.

I just don't get why she all of sudden did that???

Is she now becoming aggressive???

Or does it have to do with our recent substrate problem:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...orn-what-to-do)

She might have been really hungry. It is normal from them to actually strike and constrict their food, even if it is f/t. Almost all of mine strike and constrict as if it was life before they eat it. I don't see her behavior as sign of aggression. If she struck at it but didn't grab it then she might have gotten spooked and struck defensively at it.

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Originally Posted by Kinra

She might have been really hungry. It is normal from them to actually strike and constrict their food, even if it is f/t. Almost all of mine strike and constrict as if it was life before they eat it. I don't see her behavior as sign of aggression. If she struck at it but didn't grab it then she might have gotten spooked and struck defensively at it.

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I have a feeling she was very hungry and that is was the change to tractor supply co. substrate that made he go on hunger strike for 3 weeks.

Anyone know where to donate a 95% full big bag of aspen substrate(with pine mixed in)???

We have no use for it but I want to make sure that wherever I donate it that it won't be used for snakes.

House people will take it they always need tons of chips.

I'd not worry about a snake that is a fast aggressive feeder. The problem is often reversed. I have two super aggressive feeders on feeding day (I feed in the enclosure) with the scent of rats in the air my two are waiting I rarely get the rat even over the opening I have to be ready to catch them as they strike so fast and hard one one came all the way out of the enclosure and almost fell. Neither has ever bit me.

On non feeding days especially in the evening one of them is often waiting S position I reach my hand in and touch her and she instantly calms out. My big old boy is the same although he isn't quite as eager. (lots more mass I no longer put my fingers in the hemostats he hit very very hard bent back fingers suck)

In the wild these snakes will lay in wait for something to come by and then they grab it. They are very opportunistic feeders. It might have awakened an instinct when the prey didn't predictably fall out of the sky in a predetermined location.

I let mine strike at the prey and I even tug back at it a little to make it seem more natural (to me anyway) like something is putting up a struggle to get away. They all constrict the prey, which is a natural response. I started this years ago because for me they become better feeders. Snickers sounds to me like she's showing a great feeding response. That's a good thing.

Horse people... house... sometimes I have to wonder about myself...